Attaching device for curtain-stretchers.



J. O. HOLMQUIST. ATTAGHING DEVICE FOR CURTAIN STRBTGHEBS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1911.

Patented July 11, 1911.

WIT NE88E8 JOHN OTTO HOLMQUIST,

T FTQE.

OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

ATTACHING DEVICE FOR CURTAIN-STRETCHERS.

aeaeeo.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN O. HOLMQUIST, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented a new and Improved Attaching Device for Curtain-Stretchers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to attaching devices for curtain stretchers andhas reference more particularly to a device of this class whichcomprises a base adapted to be movably carried by a suitable part of theframe of the stretcher, an upwardly projecting holder adapted to engagethe curtain or other article stretched upon *the frame, and a guardadjacent to the holder.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, strong and durableattachingde vice for use with curtain stretcher frames and the like,which serves to take the place of the ordinary pins, hooks or otherdevices now used for this purpose, which can be inexpensively produced,by means of which the curtains, or other articles stretched upon theframe can be securely held in position, which minimizes the danger ofinjury to the curtain or other fabric, which can be adjustably mounted,which cannot injure the hands or the apparel of the person manipulatingthe stretcher, and which can be adjustably associated with the stretcherframe so that it can be positioned at any desired part thereof.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts tobe more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in-theclaims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of ref erence indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures, and in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of one of the bars of a stretcher frame, showing aplurality of attaching devices embodying my invention associatedtherewith; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the bar, showing anattaching device; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the attachingdevices; Fig. 4: is a fragmentary plan view of a stretcher frame barhaving one of my attaching devices associated therewith; Fig. 5 is atransverse section of a bar, showing an attach- Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed January 17, 1911.

Patented July 11, 1911.

Serial No. 603,050.

ing device of modified form carried there by; Fig. 6 is a perspectiveview of a modified form of the device.

Before proceeding to a more detailed explanation of my lnvention, itshould be clearly understood that the attaching device can be employedwith any desired type of stretcher frame used for drying curtains orother fabrics, after these have been laundried, or for other analogouspurposes. It is customary to provide stretcher frame parts of this kindwith pins, projections, hooks, or the like, which engage the fabric tohold the same stretched across the frame, so that it will dry smoothlyand in its normal shape. Frequently these pins cause injury to thefabric or to the person and apparel of the operator of the device. Ihave found it desirable to provide an attaching device in which the pinor other holder proper has associated therewith a guard to prevent suchinjury, as will appear more clearly hereinafter. In certain types ofcurtain stretchers now employed the at taching devices are movablypositioned in undercut grooves of the frame parts. I have found this tobe an advantageous construction, and therefore prefer to adapt myimproved attaching device for use with frames of the grooved kind.However,

these and other details of construction shown for example herein, formno part of the invention but can be varied in accordance with individualpreference and special conditions, without departing from the underlyingspirit of my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I haveshown part of a framebar 10 of a stretcher, which has near the inner edge an undercut groove11 extending longitudinally thereof. The groove has a reduced elongatedopening 12 and is substantially of T cross section, as is shown moreclearly in Figs. 1, 2 and 5.

The attaching device is preferably fashioned from an elongated metallicbody, such as wire bent into the desired shape. One end of the wireconstitutes an upwardly disposed and inclined pin or finger 13, whichconstitutes the holder proper and engages in a mesh of the curtain orotherwise engages the material to hold the same in position. At thelower end of the holder the wire is inwardly offset to form part of areduced neck 14. Beyond this neck a length of the wire is laterallydisposed to form a side 15 of the base; this is preferably inclined withrespect to the length of the base. At the end of the base the materialis bent upwardly into U form and constitutes a substantially verticalguide projection 16. Beyond the guide projection is a further length ofwire 17 which constitutes the other side of the base and corresponds tothe part 15. The base sides 15 and 17 are relatively inclined. At theend of the side 17 remote from the projection 16, the wire has aninwardly disposed part 18 adjacent to the part 14 and constituting withthe same the reduced neck. The end of the wire adjacent to the part 18is upwardly disposed and inclined toward the free extremity of the pin13, and forms a guard 19, the extremity thereof being rearwardly bentand rounded against the guard. The upper portions of the guard and thepin lie closely adjacent. It will be seen that as the rounded end of theguard projects slightly above the extremity of the pin, the latter isprevented from accidentally injuring the fabric or otherwise causingdamage. The wire possesses suflicient resiliency to permit the guard andthe pin to be pressed apart, or otherwise forced apart, so that theattaching device can be engaged with the material. To remove the latterit is merely necessary to pull it upward, when it can be easily forcedfrom between the guard and the pin.

When the attaching device is in use it is positioned with the baseslidably located in the groove 11. The reduced neck of the attachingdevice is received in the correspondingly reduced slot 12 of the groove.The guide projection also extends into this slot 12, so that theattaching device can slide freely in the groove and cannot bind. The pinor holder 13 of the attaching device has the lower end supported by thesurface of the bar 10, as the wire at the lower end of the holder isinwardly disposed to form the reduced neck. In this way the holder issubstantially supported and can not be easily bent or displaced by thestrain resulting from the weight of the curtain or other fabric. Theguard extends clear of the bar through the opening 12 and can be easilyforced aside to displace it from juxtaposition with the holder, thenormal resiliency of the wire being suflicient for this purpose. In themodified form of the device shown in Figs. 5 and 6, one end of the wireforms an upwardly and laterally disposed pin or holder 20 below which isthe inwardly offset length 21 forming part of a reduced neck.

The base 22 is formed by two substantially parallel lengths of the wirewhich are spaced but a sllght dlstance apart so that the entire basereally engages at one side only of the groove. The wire beyond the baseis upwardly disposed and has a part 23 whlch cooperates with the part 21to form the neck. Beyond the neck the wire is bent into U form toconstitute the guard 24. This pro jects through the part 12 of thegroove upwardly toward the holder. The free end of the wire at the guardis laterally disposed to form a keeper 25 which engages at the oppositeside of the undercut groove. It will be seen from Fig. 5 that the baselies at one side and the keeper 25 at the other side of the groove andprevents the withdrawal of the attachment, permitting the same to bemoved freely longitudinally of the groove.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. An attaching device for curtain stretchers, comprising a base havingat one end an upwardly disposed guide, and at the other end an upwardlydisposed holder and an upwardly disposed guard.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a base adapted to beslidably received in a groove of a stretcher frame part, an upwardlyprojecting finger associated with said base, and a guard associated withsaid base and disposed into juxtaposition with said finger.

3. A device of the class described, comprising a base formed to beslidably received in an undercut groove, said base having a guideprojection engaging the reduced open ing of said groove, a holderprojecting through the opening of said, groove, and a guard projectingthrough the opening of said groove and having the end lying adjacent tothe end of said holder.

4:. A device of the class described, comprising a base formed to beslidably received in an undercut groove, said base having a guideprojection engaging the reduced opening of said groove, a holderprojecting through the opening of said groove, said holder beinginclined, and a guard projecting through the opening of said groove andinclined toward said holder, said guide being rounded by having the endthereof bent upon itself.

5. A device of the class described, formed from wire, said wire havingone end upwardly disposed to form a holder andhaving successive lengthsconstituting a base, and an upwardly disposed guard, said guard beingadjacent to said holder.

6-. A device of the class described, comprising a base having at one endan upwardly disposed guide projection and having at the other end areduced neck, an upwardly disposed holder beyond said neck, and anupwardly disposed guard beyond said neck and in juxtaposition with saidholder.

7. In combination with a member having an undercut groove, a device ofthe class described, comprising a base having at one end an upwardlydisposed guide projection adapted to engage the reduced opening of saidgroove, said base being extended at the sides to engage under theundercut sides of said groove, said device having at the end of saidbase remote from said projection a reduced neck and beyond said neck anout- Wardly and upwardly offset holder, and a 10 rounded guardassociated With said holder. In testimony whereof I have signed my nameto this specification in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN OTTO HOLMQUIST. Witnesses:

JOHN H. FUAG, WILLIAM SCHULTZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G."

